Pertussis-vaccine booster shot safe, effective in kids with IBD

Last Updated: 2017-04-27

By Reuters Staff

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - including those who are on immunosuppressant therapy - have an adequate response to pertussis booster vaccination, according to the first study to assess pertussis-vaccine response in these patients.

“The results of our prospective study demonstrate that serologic response to booster pertussis vaccine was very high and irrespective of therapy type in IBD children and adolescents,” Dr. Aleksandra Banaszkiewicz of the Medical University of Warsaw and colleagues write in their report, published in the May issue of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Many countries recommend that children receive one dose of pertussis vaccine between the ages of 11 and 18, Dr. Banaszkiewicz and her team note. Adherence to the full schedule may be particularly important for patients with IBD, they add, given their increased risk of severe infections and possible blunted vaccine response.

The researchers compared immunogenicity of the pertussis booster vaccine in 111 IBD patients and 27 controls from six university hospitals in Poland. Group 1 had IBD but were not receiving immunosuppressive treatment; group 2 were taking thiopurines only; group 3 were taking thiopurines and tumor necrosis factor alpha agents; and group 4 did not have IBD.

Adequate vaccine response was seen in 88% of group 1, 91% of group 2, 90% of group 3, and 72% of group 4 (p=0.11). Rates were similar for the IBD patients who received immunosuppression and those who did not. Rates of adverse events were also similar for all groups.

“A shortcoming of this study is the lack of data on the duration of immunosuppressant treatment,” the researchers state. “We speculate that no differences in vaccine response rates between patients with or without immunosuppression and healthy controls could be explained by a short duration of treatment; however, more studies are needed to confirm this.”

Dr. Banaszkiewicz was not available for an interview by press time.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2p7ed20

Inflamm Bowel Dis 2017.